But she couldn't change. Not now. She knew that as clearly as she'd recognized what she had become. It was too late for change. Her plans were in full motion, and if it took her full cruelty and reprehensible reputation to win the battle, then so be it.
She realized what that meant. She was willing to sacrifice her own dignity, her own reputation, her own . . . soul. In the end, though, the world would thank her. In the end, everyone would be better off. In the end, life would be perfect.
She looked to her right just in time to see her latest servant girl, Nora, stumble through the door and drop a tray, dishes clattering all over the floor.